Suzanne Uttaro Samuels's Blog
October 1, 2025
Walking Through Ellis Island with My Characters
October is Italian American Heritage Month, and I’ve been thinking a lot about Ellis Island. More than half of Sicilians who arrived there were pulled aside for “Special Inquiry”—because they looked “suspicious,” didn’t have the $25 entry fee, or spoke dialects no inspector understood. Imagine being exhausted from weeks at sea and not knowing if you’d be allowed to stay.
In my debut novel Seeds of the Pomegranate (September 2025), Mimi Inglese faces her own uncertain crossing, carrying family secrets and hopes for a new life in America. Writing her story made me see Ellis Island not just as a historic site, but as a place filled with fear, resilience, and longing.
If you could step into the shoes of an ancestor arriving at Ellis Island, what do you think you’d notice first—the crowded dormitory, the smell of disinfectant, or just the relief of stepping onto solid ground?
✨ If you’d like to read my free prequel short story, Secrets in the Dust, you can sign up for my Substack, Persephone’s Stories (https://suzannesamuels.substack.com/)
In my debut novel Seeds of the Pomegranate (September 2025), Mimi Inglese faces her own uncertain crossing, carrying family secrets and hopes for a new life in America. Writing her story made me see Ellis Island not just as a historic site, but as a place filled with fear, resilience, and longing.
If you could step into the shoes of an ancestor arriving at Ellis Island, what do you think you’d notice first—the crowded dormitory, the smell of disinfectant, or just the relief of stepping onto solid ground?
✨ If you’d like to read my free prequel short story, Secrets in the Dust, you can sign up for my Substack, Persephone’s Stories (https://suzannesamuels.substack.com/)
